Rotary plate-printing machine



A. H. SMlTH RUTARY PLATE PRINTING MACHLA Oct. 14 1924.

Filed Aug. 6, 1918 INVE/VTUR and the use of a single plate on a multiple Patented Oct. 14, 1924.

` UNITED STATES 1,5,3'o7 PATENT OFFICE."

AMOSE. SMITH, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN BANI& NOTE COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.,

A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

'EOTARY ?LATE-PRINTIN MACEINE.

Application filed August 6,1918 Serial No. 248,518.

To all whom it may concern' a v Be it known that I, AMos H. SMrrH, a citizen of the United States, residing at the borough of Brooklyn, in the city of New York, county of Kings, and State of New- York, have invented certain new' and useful Improvements in Rotary Plate- Printing Machines, of which the following is a specifioation, reference being had therein to the accompanying/ drawings, which form a part thereof.

My' invention -relates to rotary plate printing machines, and more particularly to a machine of this character adapted to be used in making impressions from a single plate, as distinguished from rotary machines employing a plurality of plates upon the form or plate cylinder.

In plate printng machines in' which the imprint is made from an intaglio, engraved, oi' under surface printing plate, the printing conditions diflier from those in machines used in printing from cameo or relief plates, not only in the nature of the plate used, but in the character of the ink, the degree of pressure from the impression cylinder to secure the imprint, and the time required to secure the proper transfer of .the ink contained in the lines of the plate to the paper.

Heretofore, it has been possible to utilize rotary plate machines ecnomically only when making a very large number of impressions, since the duplication of plates,

and the make-ready of the press is too eX- pensi-ve to justify the production or use of more than a single plate for a short run,

plate machine entails a material curtailment in the capacity of the machine. Hence it has been the practice, when only one plate is produced for a job, to use a flatbed press, the capacity of which is very limited compared with other types of presses using a plurality of plates.

With these conditions in mind, the object of my invention has been to produce a rotary printing press, the form or plate cyling der of which is adapted 'to have a single plate` mounted thereon, other mechanisms associated with said plate cylinder being so combined and associated therewith as to permit the development of a Capacity in the machine much greater than can be obtained with a single plate, flat bed machine,

and approximately equal to that of a multiple plate machine. To secure this result, it is essential to increase the R. P. M. of the form-or plate cylinder, while afi'ording ample time for the proper wiping and polishing of the plate and the making of'a pro-per imprint therefrom. By means of a printing machine made in-accordance with my invention, I am enabled to' secure the desired Capacity from a single plate, while preserving all those time elements essential to the proper preparation of the plate, and the proper making of an imprint. 5

In addition to providing a printingmachine having the above characteristics, I have so associated the various elements as to permit the feeding of the paper to, and their collection from, the printing couple, under conditions ensuring an effective transfer of the ink from the plate to said sheets.

The invention consists primarily in a'rotary plate printing mechine embodying therein a form or plate cylinder adapted to receive a single plate, anrinkin mechanism,-

a wiping mechanism, a polis in mechanism, an impression cylinder or -roll associated with said form or plate cylinder, and means rotating said form or plate cylinder at a high speed, determined by the minimum time required by said wiping mechanism to wipe the plate and pack the lines thereof with the ink, and in such other novel features of Construction and combination of parts as are hereinafter set forth and described, and more particularly ponted out in the claims hereto appended.

In the accompanying drawing I have shown a vertical section of a printing machine embodying the essential characteristics of my invention, the uctuating means for the inking mechanisn, and for the wiping and polishing mechanisms being omitted, as such are immaterial to my present inven'tion.

In the embodiment of my invention shown in the drawings, I employ a plate or form cylinder a adapted to receive a single enplate b, the length of this plate being approximately 180* of the periphery of said cylinder. This cylinder a is of short radius compared with the form or plate cylinders of rotary machines heretofore used, the diameter of the cylinder being made as small 'as possible with due regard to the raved, intaglio or under-surface printing maximum size of the plate to be used thereon, and the ability to im part to'said plate which is hardened steel, the desired curvature. The use of a cylinder of small diameter permits an increase in the number of revolutions of the cylinder per minute without varying the peripheral speed of the cylinder, o-r the rate of traverse of the plate, as Compared with a plate upon a cylinder of larger diameter, such as is used in a multiple plate machine. Hcnce, for example, if the cylinder be made one-half the diameter of the cylinder of a multiple plate machine, the speed of this cylinder may be doubled, and yet maintain all of the conditions surrounding the inking, wiping and polishing of the plate. and the making of the imprint. Since it is impossible to bend a plate in an arc of more than 180, or mount it upon a cylinder, if the plate is of an are greater than that specified` my invention is limited to the use of a form cylinder a having a plate of no more than approximately 180 in length thereon. The opposite diameter of said cylinder is counterweighted as shown at a'. to compensate for the load of the plate, and of the surface supporting same.

Associated with the cylinder a is an inking mechanism consisting of the usual ink fount (3, distributing rollers d and inking rollers e, wiping platens f and having the usual wiping cloth h, and a polishing platen 'i having the usual polishing cloth passing over same. These mechanisms are each old and well known in this art, no claim of invention being made thereto, except broadly as elements in the combination of a machine made in accordance with my invention. v i

Also associated with the oylinder (z is an impression cylinder or D-roll 70, carrying gripper fingers m adapted to eng-age a sheet of paper delivered from the feed shelt n. Any desired form of gripper mechanisni may be used. The impression cylinder,'or D-roll Ic, is of relatively smaller diameter than the cylinder a.

I have not shown the actuating means for the impression cylinder or D-roll k, it being understood that this cylinder is intermittently operative in the usual and well known manner, to ensure the proper timing of its operation with relation to the form or plate cylindera. Said impression cylinder or D-roll Ic is mounted at one side, or upon a horizontal radius of the cylinder a and is so m'ounted as to develop the necessa pressure to secure a proper imprnt, an cause the frictional engagement thereof with the sheet. contained between the cylinder a and the plate b, to feed said sheet in relation to said plate, while allowing it to remain on the plate, 'after the impression has been made, for a sufiicient interval, to ensu e h proper transfer of ink from the lines of said plate to the paper before said .paper is removed by the collecting mechanism. In order to afi'o rd this dwell of the paper upon the plate, I arrange the collecting mechanism 0 which may be of any desired type, at the top of the cylnder a, or approximately 90 beyond the printing point.

The operation of the her-ein described machineis substantially as fo llowsz lVhen Operating a press made in accordance with my invention, the cylinder a is rotated at a speed which will develop-a pcripheral speed, or rate of travel of the plate 7 as high as is possible, or consisten-t', with a proper preparation of the plaite for the making of the imprint. This peripheral speed or travel approximates, or is substantially the same as, that of the p'lates upon a multiple plate machine of the rotary type, and is greaatier than that of such a machine of the flat bed type. Assuming that the cylinder a is one-half the diameter of the cylinder of a two plate rotary machine, by having the speed of rotation. of said cylinder a double that of the cylinder of the two plate machine, it will be seen that the plate b will be brought into the printing relation with the impression cylinder or D-roll 77 twice, while each of the plates upon the larger cylinder 'Will be brought into this relation but once,' and hence that the Capacity of the two machines will be equal. If, however, the ratio of the diameter-S of the' cylinder a and of the cylinder upon the two plate machine, be greater than one to two, it will be necessary to reduce the speed of rotation of the cylinder a proportionately, and there will be a corresponding variance in the capacity of the two types of presse-s, and while the output of the single plate machine will bo relatively smaller than that of the two plate machine. the time afi'orded for the conditioning of the plate and the making. of the' imprint upon the single plate machine Will be the same. To preservethe desired conditions in a machine made in accordance with my invention, as compared with those in a multiple plate machine, it is ap arent that the comparative speed of t'he cyl inders in the two types of machines must be substantially in inverse ratio to the difl'erence in the diameters of the plate or form cylinders of said machines'. Since the Capacity of a multiple plate cylinder machine is very much greater than that of any flat bed plate machine, even of the multiple plate type, it is apparent that the Capacity of a machine made in accordance with my invention, being approximately that of a multiple plate rotary machine, will of necessity be greater than thatof any typeof flat bed machine, and particularly of a single plate machine of the flat plate type,

as in a rotary plate machine of the two plate type, excep ting as to the wear upon the plate, thu's making a machine made in acccrdance with -my invention, particularly ad aptable `for use upon short runs, the length of which would not justify the duplication of plates. F'urthermore, the makeready of a machine made in accordance with my invention requires `less labor, may be more quickly accomplished, and is therefore less expensive than the make-ready of a multiple plate machine.

With each rotation of the cylinder a, the plate b -thereon is brought successively in to the operative relation to the inking ro-llers e, the wiping cloth 71 and the polishing cloth tor properly conditioning, or preparing, the platejthe impression cylinder and the collecting merhanism o.

The inking operation and the polishing operation do no-tplace any limi-tation upon the peripheral speed at which the plate b Inay be driven, but the proper wiping of the plate and packing of the lines with the ink, I have discovered cannot !be accom plished if this speed is to o high. It is also desirable, to secure a proper imprint, tha t the speed of the plate, during the impression interval, shall not be too high. As

a consequence,` the functions of the wiping Inech ansm and the impression cylinder place certain limitations as to the speed of rotation 'of the plate cylinder. The making of 'the mprint may be secured at `a relatively higher speed, however, than the wi ing of the plate, particularly if the sheet e allowed to remain upon the plate for a substantial 'period after the impression cylinder or D-roll is operative in making the imprint, since this dwell of the sheet 'upon the plate tends to' ensure a 'better bond of the ink to the'paper, and, therefore, a more complete transfer of the ink from the lines of the plate to the paper. By reason of the fact that danipened sheets of paper are employed, there is a tendency of the paper to remain in the lines of the plate after they have been once pressed thereinto by the imi pression cylinder or D-'oll.

The wiping platens f and g and the polshing platens z'receive movement aXially of the cylinder a, or sulbstantial-ly so, in the -sane manner asis usually employed in plate printng presses.

The impression cylinder or D-roll k need be only of a diameter'suflicient to cause the blanketed surface thereon to be of a length approximately that of the plate upon the cylinder a, and hence the cylinder or D- roll will receive one full rotation during only a partial rotation .of aid` cylinder a,

said impression cylinder or D-roll remaining stationary during that portion of each rotati on of the cylinder a when the late bis being inked, wiped and polished. ence the impression cylinder or D-roll` is intermittently rotated. The actuating means for securing this result is old and Well known in this art however, and is not illustrated in the acconpanying drawings.

The collecting mechanism o,renoves the sheets from the plate 7) just prior to the inking of said plate upon the su bsequent. cycle of operation.

I believe it to be broadly new to provide a rotary plate printing machine 'wherein i the form cylinder is adapted to receive :1

single plate, and is rotated at a high speed determined by the time required by the wiping mechanism to properly wipe the nonprinting surface of the plate, and pack the ink in the lines thereof. I also believe it to 'be novel to provide a machine of this character wherein the sheets ot' paper are delivered to the impression cylinder` and after delivery thereby in the prining position in relation to the form o r plate oylinder,'a1'e allowed to remain upon the plate for a suzbstantial interval of time, to aford such a dwell as will ensure a more effective transfer of the ink contained in the lines of the plate to the paper, before being removed fro-in the plate by the collecting' mechanism.

It is not my intention to limit the invention to the prec ise details of Construction, shown in the accompanying drawings, it being apparent that such may ibe varied without departing fmin the spirit and scope of the invention.

Having described the invention what I claim as new, and desire to have protected by Letters Patent, is 2-" 1. A rotary plate printing machine embodying therein a form or plate cylinder adapted to receive a singleplate, an inking mechanism, a wiping mechanism, a polishing mechanism, `an impression cylinder or D-roll associated with said form or plate cylinder, means rotatin said form or plate cylinder at a high spee determined by the minimum time required by said wiping mechanism to wipe the plate and pack the lines thereof with the ink, a gripper mechaunder-surface printing plate having an arc e npression cylinder or D-roll, and a collecting or delivery mechanism adapted to 'emove sheets from the plate upon said form or plate cylinder, said collecting or delivery mechanism being spaced away from said im- 'pression cylinder or D-roll `'for a sufiicent distance to p'ermit a dWell of the paper upon said plate after the impresson has been made.

3. A rotary plate printing machine embodyng therein a form or plate cylnder adapted to receive a single plate, an nkng mechanism, a Wiping mechanism, a polishing mechanism, an impresson cylinder or D-roll assocated With said form or plate cylinder, means rotatng said form or plate cylinder at a high speed, determined by the minimum time required by' said Wiping mechanism to Wpe the plate and pack the lines thereof With the nk, a gripper mechanism carried by said mpression cylinder or D-ro1l, and a collecting or delvery mechansm adapted to remove sheets from the plate upon said form or plate cylnder, said Wiping mechanism, a polshng mechanism,

an nnpression cylnder or D-roll assocated With said form or plate cylinder, means rotating said form or plate cylinder at a high speed, determned by the minimum time required by said Wipmg mechanism to Wipe the plate and pack the lines thereof With the ink, a grpper mechanism carred by said imprcssion cylinder or D-roll, and a collect ing or delivery mechanism' adapted to remove sheets from the plate upon said form or plate cylinder, said collecting or delivery mechanism being spaced away from said impression cylinder or D-roll, approxmately 90 Whereby a dwell of the paper upon said plate, after the impresson has been made, is permitted.

In Wtness Whereof I have hereunto aflixed my signature this 18th day of July, 1918, in the presence of two subscrbin witnesses.

AMOS SMITH. Wtnesses:

T. T. WENTWORTH, A. E. RENTON. 

